Open Access / Predatory Publishers / Questionable Conferences: Questionable Conferences

Stanford Libraries Blog. Part 2 of 4.

A detailed description of the efforts of the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) to identify 'predatory' conferences. Database only open to members.

List of predatory, parasitic, or pseudoscientific publishers and journals.

The criteria for inclusion on the lists are unsolicited email to me (spam), indications of shady practices or possible incompetence in the subject areas, and reports on other websites.

This presentation looks at the problem of predatory publishers who exploit changes to the publishing landscape in the 21st century.
Covering what a predatory publisher is, why they are a problem and including a handy checklist to help assess publishers this presentation is recommended for library staff working in research support roles.

"The journals are giving rise to a wider ecosystem of pseudo science. For the academic who wants to add credentials to a résumé, for instance, publishers also hold meetings where, for a hefty fee, you can be listed as a presenter — whether you actually attend the meeting or not."

Bogus scientific events are exploiting top researchers to cash in. Chemistry World, September 2018, p.8.

"In this post, we hope to raise awareness about the growing menace of bogus conferences, organized by predatory publishers as well as specialized conference groups ..."

"These recommended practices have been developed (by Elsevier, IEEE and IET) to provide guidelines that will help maintain an equitable balance of the interests of all participants in ensuring high quality, scholarly conference proceedings
content."

The FTC encourages consumers to file a complaint whenever they have been the victim of fraud, identity theft, or other unfair or deceptive business practices. They can do it online, or by calling the FTC’s Consumer Response Center at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

An interesting analysis of the naming of meetings as described in a 'PhD Comic'.